This invention relates to compositions and methods for the tenderization of meat of freshly slaughtered animal carcasses, meat cuts, chilled carcasses or cold meat cuts. More specifically, the invention relates to a meat tenderizing method employing sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, and calcium chloride, alone or in various mixtures or complexes which are incorporated into the meat tissues to obtain a significant improvement in tenderness. The invention is intended primarily for use with beef, veal, pork, lamb, poultry and other meats used for human consumption.
Of the several sensory characteristics of meat, tenderness is perhaps the trait most highly desired by consumers. Consequently, meat tenderness is a factor of major economic importance to the livestock and meat industries.
Much effort has been expended in attempting to improve the tenderness of meat through the breeding, feeding and management of meat animals. In order to assure tenderness, meat animals are usually fed on high energy or grain diets for extensive periods of time. In response to the world food shortage and hunger situation, it is being suggested presently that more of the grain normally fed to meat animals to enhance tenderness be diverted and fed directly to humans. Thus, if an alternate method of enhancing meat tenderness were made available, extensive feeding of high quality grain to meat animals could be curtailed. In addition, prolonged grain feeding of meat animals to obtain the desired grade and marbling content necessary to enhance tenderness has resulted in a considerable waste of energy and natural resources. Moreover, excessively marbled meat animals tend to deposit excessive waste fat. This practice is costly to the producer, packer, retailer, and ultimately to the consumer. Also, current medical thinking favors limiting the dietary fat intake of humans.
In the past, attempts to directly improve meat tenderness have involved extended holding or "aging" of meat carcasses or cuts under a controlled refrigerated environment. This practice results in considerable expenditures of energy required for refrigeration, large inventories of meat carcasses or cuts in the packers' coolers and desiccation of meat tissues. Also, this procedure encourages microbial growth in meat tissues which could result in spoilage and or trim losses. These factors give rise to carcass or cut losses due to shrinkage, as well as a waste of energy. Obviously, the monetary aspects involved result in higher prices for meat to the consumer.
Other methods for improving tenderness have involved the injection of proteolytic enzymes into meat. These enzymes are derived from plant, microbial or fungal sources and require rigidly controlled conditions so as to neither harm nor overtenderize the meat which results in mushiness, off-odors or off-tastes in the meat. Representative prior art disclosures of such proteolytic enzymes used alone as a meat tenderizing composition include U.S. Pat. No. 2,903,362, issued to Benk and U.S. Pat. No. 2,582,391 issued to Williams. The composition disclosed in the Williams U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,712 includes a wide spectrum antibiotic and proteolytic enzyme while U.S. Pat. No. 3,188,213, issued to Delaney, discloses the use of NaCl with smaller amounts of a non-linear phosphate and a proteolytic enzyme.
The use of phosphates, alone or in combination with other salts, notably NaCl, is disclosed in a number of prior art patents. However, phosphates are not the equivalent of the chloride salts herein disclosed, as is set forth in detail below. Representative teachings are found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,999,019 issued to Hopkins et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,147,123 issued to Komarik; U.S. Pat. No. 3,207,608 issued to Brown et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,854 issued to Hinnergardt. In Hopkins et al, the amount of salt called for is generally higher than herein disclosed whereas in Brown et al., the teaching of the amount of solution injected is far in excess of that disclosed and taught herein. In both patents, the tenderizing effects of NaCl used alone are somewhat discounted.
The extra step of mechanical tenderizing is required in the Hinnergardt disclosure. In several of these patents the use of two sodium compounds is encouraged (e.g., sodium phosphate and sodium chloride) which may result in a product having an unacceptably high sodium content. This becomes a certainty in the case of those who must restrict the amount of sodium intake in their diets.
Other disclosures which discount the effectiveness of a chloride salt as a tenderizing agent include the Williams U.S. Pat. No. 3,006,768, which teaches the injection of plain water as a meat tenderizer and states that salt is not critical to the obtaining of enhanced tenderness in the meat. In an earlier U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,321, Williams teaches that NaCl has no or perhaps questionable tenderizing effect upon meat. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,166,423 issued to Sleeth et al., a tenderizing solution containing a proteolytic enzyme and NaCl is disclosed, but the NaCl is taught as only preventing drip and shrinkage; no tenderizing effect is accorded the NaCl component.
The use of potassium compounds in treating meat is also well known, specifically potassium nitrite and potassium chloride as curing agents, as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,688,555 issued to Komarik et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 2,955,042 issued to Firor, respectively. However, the curing concentrations disclosed are generally in excess of the tenderizing amounts disclosed herein.